George Romero: 'The Walking Dead' Is A Soap Opera With Occasional Zombie

Comments

I love how you chastised me for saying a comment was ignorant, but you refer to mine as excrement.
I understand the rules now. "Stick to bumping your Justin Bieber" is a harsh insult, but you using profanity is alright. I appreciate the insight.

There's a fine line between "expressing a negative opinion" and doing it in such a hyperbolic way that it offends others. The first naturally has a place here, the latter doesn't. And as the latter hardly serves a communicative purpose but flamebaiting, it's absolutely not in the community's interest anyway.

I dont care if you like it or not. That is totally your choice. I dont like some shows that other people love and revere. I just, like I said, never understood, and this is from reading the same kind of comments on other message boards, when people continue to watch a show they dont like just to bash it. I actually read someone say that they watched a show they didnt like just so they could "heckle" it. That kind of mentality I dont understand.

It's easy: I was into TWD before the series, I loved the comic and the game. Lot's of people said the show was great, so I believed … morethem and bought Season 1 & 2. Some shows develop their qualities by the progress of the storyline, so I'd been hoping it gets better in the next episode. Why shouldn't I watch it when I payed for it? Hope dies last. Also: you people wondering how one does NOT like it as much as you do and complaining about it is really awkward, I mean I never said I hate the series or that it's total garbage, It's just not as good as I expected. It's OK, a mediocre TV show with a few ups and downs, the plot is not the problem IMO, it just doesn't touch me as much as the other media of this trademark, thanks to poor writing. I watch MANY shows, kinda my hobby, I got an extensive collection so you're comparing automatically - believe me, I really wanted to like it. Please let go off people who think that it's not the holy grail. You can love it, I don't have to.

IMDB and Facebook to name two. When I like a show, I like to read as much as I can about it. I also listen to a lot of podcasts so I hear a lot of opinions. Ive seen every episode of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones and have defended both shows to other fans. Yeah, they are not always treated like the bastions of tv as no show Ive ever seen is. But, if you think The Walking Dead is an inferior show, that is fine. It doesnt change anything for me, not my opinion of it or my love of the show so we can agree to disagree.

lmao, no I wouldn't use the word "upset", but disgusted would work. Spending an entire season building up to a battle/climax that ne… morever happens is bad writing, plain and simple. They painted themselves into a corner and copped out.
I have never heard anyone criticize Breaking Bad or GoT for their pacing. Dunno what boards you are hanging around on.
Look at the end of the day there is a reason that GoT and Breaking Bad rake in the awards that matter. Meanwhile TWD only gets praise for its prosthetic makeup.

There's a fine line between "expressing a negative opinion" and doing it in such a hyperbolic way that it offends others. The first … morenaturally has a place here, the latter doesn't. And as the latter hardly serves a communicative purpose but flamebaiting, it's absolutely not in the community's interest anyway.

IMDB and Facebook to name two. When I like a show, I like to read as much as I can about it. I also listen to a lot of podcasts so I… more hear a lot of opinions. Ive seen every episode of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones and have defended both shows to other fans. Yeah, they are not always treated like the bastions of tv as no show Ive ever seen is. But, if you think The Walking Dead is an inferior show, that is fine. It doesnt change anything for me, not my opinion of it or my love of the show so we can agree to disagree.

This is ridiculous. Two pages of back and forth. Every one has opinions and everyone has the right to express those opinions. What people need to learn is that not everyone is going to agree.
Personally, I love the game, but I can't even read the comic and the show was good but has been on a decline. There has been some promising moment's in the new season, but it depends on how it all pays off. If they do what they did with last season's finale, which was very bad writing and disrespectful to the time I devoted to the series, then I don't think I'll be continuing with it. But, for those of you who'd continue to support the series, good for you. My opinion doesn't invalidate yours.
Now, as for Romero's opinion, I will say that it does hold a lot of weight, but if you don't agree with it, what does it matter, you're not going to stop watching just because of what he had to say. But, PLEASE, don't disrespect the man, because, without him, The Walking Dead Never would have existed.

It's easy: I was into TWD before the series, I loved the comic and the game. Lot's of people said the show was great, so I believed … morethem and bought Season 1 & 2. Some shows develop their qualities by the progress of the storyline, so I'd been hoping it gets better in the next episode. Why shouldn't I watch it when I payed for it? Hope dies last. Also: you people wondering how one does NOT like it as much as you do and complaining about it is really awkward, I mean I never said I hate the series or that it's total garbage, It's just not as good as I expected. It's OK, a mediocre TV show with a few ups and downs, the plot is not the problem IMO, it just doesn't touch me as much as the other media of this trademark, thanks to poor writing. I watch MANY shows, kinda my hobby, I got an extensive collection so you're comparing automatically - believe me, I really wanted to like it. Please let go off people who think that it's not the holy grail. You can love it, I don't have to.

Oh how dare I being born and raised in the wrong country? I am SO sorry that we didn't have it on TV earlier and I had to ship it from abroad. We have every season 1 or 2 years later and when it's finally on TV they air it in the middle of the night. We're still stuck on Season 2 here.

Well then go point out my "flaws" in our disscussion on page 1 because we're disscussing Logans post here. I don't care what you think about me, Romero, the TV show or else but you should really calm down and stop acting like an insulted primadonna if you want to be respected, not dissaproved.

Logan is soooo right, this is getting silly. Lets either have a pleasant conversation about the topic at hand or be smarmy and condescending to everyone who has a different opinion to you, and that goes to both parties.

This is ridiculous. Two pages of back and forth. Every one has opinions and everyone has the right to express those opinions. What p… moreeople need to learn is that not everyone is going to agree.
Personally, I love the game, but I can't even read the comic and the show was good but has been on a decline. There has been some promising moment's in the new season, but it depends on how it all pays off. If they do what they did with last season's finale, which was very bad writing and disrespectful to the time I devoted to the series, then I don't think I'll be continuing with it. But, for those of you who'd continue to support the series, good for you. My opinion doesn't invalidate yours.
Now, as for Romero's opinion, I will say that it does hold a lot of weight, but if you don't agree with it, what does it matter, you're not going to stop watching just because of what he had to say. But, PLEASE, don't disrespect the man, because, without him, The Walking Dead Never would have existed.

The first few arcs of TWD comics were free of "the Z word" (as Shaun would say) and then it slowly started to creep in more. The show still has yet to use it (I think?), and it's only slipped into the games once or twice...

I think people are reacting to the term "soap opera" like way more of an insult than it was probably meant to be? Yeah it's definitely teasing the show because of how it does everything it can to create drama betwixt characters ("Pregnancy!" "Whose baby is it?!"), but I don't think Romero was implying the whole thing was trash or not worth watching. It's just a different take on the "typical" zombie story which, in my opinion, is part of what's helped it grab such a huge audience. It's the addictive nature of soap operas and human drama, but wrapped up in zombie stuff so it's still cooler.

shrugs Just my $0.02 on the matter. In any case, people should all chill and stop fighting with each other so much in here! Be nice y'all!

The first few arcs of TWD comics were free of "the Z word" (as Shaun would say) and then it slowly started to creep in more. The show still has yet to use it (I think?), and it's only slipped into the games once or twice...

That's the thing - they weren't "some of the first", they were the invention of the genre, period.

Don't ask me why, but Night of the Living Dead replaced the basic concept of ghouls with zombies. Maybe back then, having a character use that description sounded more "real", since you'd be referring to what people pictured as voodoo-resurrected slaves. You know, mindless shambling, etc.

This isn't all to say you're not entitled to your opinion on the actual films, it's just that brushing them off so casually in relation to The Walking Dead is a little silly. It's like dismissing Walt Disney as a feature-length animated film creator. Sure, you can hate him, but don't forget that Snow White is also the reason (and template) for the entire genre's existence.

The first few arcs of TWD comics were free of "the Z word" (as Shaun would say) and then it slowly started to creep in more. The show still has yet to use it (I think?), and it's only slipped into the games once or twice...

Technically you are right (getting there), but the way Romero put it makes it negative. there is no "satire or a political criticism" in a soap opera.

But yes, the show has drawn a larger audience because of the soap opera part - let's face it, a TV show based on say a game like Left 4 Dead would have a lot of more action, but wouldn't draw the same crowd as TWD, simply because the interaction between people is not there to the same extent as in TWD. And people like soap operas, that's kind of part of life as well.

Personally I think the soap part has taken over too much of the show, dragging it to a halt, and that's a damn shame since the premise (survival during a zombie apocalypse) is awesome.

I think people are reacting to the term "soap opera" like way more of an insult than it was probably meant to be? Yeah it's definite… morely teasing the show because of how it does everything it can to create drama betwixt characters ("Pregnancy!" "Whose baby is it?!"), but I don't think Romero was implying the whole thing was trash or not worth watching. It's just a different take on the "typical" zombie story which, in my opinion, is part of what's helped it grab such a huge audience. It's the addictive nature of soap operas and human drama, but wrapped up in zombie stuff so it's still cooler.
shrugs Just my $0.02 on the matter. In any case, people should all chill and stop fighting with each other so much in here! Be nice y'all!

That's the good thing about TWD. I never was a fan of the zombie-genre. I am not now. I only got into TWD because of Telltale. I bou… moreght the game because I owned many of their games before. I was reluctant to buy this "zombie-thing" because like I said, it's not my cup of tea. Well, I got a little money lying around, so I tried it. And it was awesome. Not because of zombie-slashing, but because of human interactions in this setting.
If TWD was just "zombie-slashing" or the zombies were the main part at all, I wouldn't be a fan. But that's just me of course.

This whole franchise puts human drama above zombie hacking and slashing, whether it be TV show, comics, or even the game.

Erm...don't Romero's best forays into zombie-fiction do the very same thing?

I frankly don't understand his point at all...unless he means how drawn out the interactions of the show are, to which I would say...well, it's a television series, and not a two-and-a-half hour movie, George.

I feel bad for Romero because his work has become less and less profitable, and he's seen everyone else cop his basic idea.

I sadly have to agree with him on this. This whole franchise puts human drama above zombie hacking and slashing, whether it be TV sh… moreow, comics, or even the game.
Also, what's funny is that in the comments of the article, there's a bunch of immature WD fans bashing Romero's movies just because of this little comment. C'mon, guys.

The show just lost its way, and i think that thats what Romero is talking about. They no longer focus on the dangers of this world, people being the worst and zombies just being there. This show has devolved into just being "human drama" to the point where i can no longer stand the eps while the game does the human drama right and it feels very natural the shows drama just feels like drama for drama sake.

Romero's movies use the zombies as a catalyst to people devolving into either monsters or cruel people doing anything to survive, the show only glances at that and goes right back to drama. Honestly I havnt watched an ep since season 2 finale.

If you want to emphasize human drama over zombie action, that's a perfectly reasonable creative approach to take. But none of that amounts to anything if the human drama sucks. I mean, can you honestly say this dialogue doesn't sound like something out of a hokey soap opera?

The show just lost its way, and i think that thats what Romero is talking about. They no longer focus on the dangers of this world, … morepeople being the worst and zombies just being there. This show has devolved into just being "human drama" to the point where i can no longer stand the eps while the game does the human drama right and it feels very natural the shows drama just feels like drama for drama sake.
Romero's movies use the zombies as a catalyst to people devolving into either monsters or cruel people doing anything to survive, the show only glances at that and goes right back to drama. Honestly I havnt watched an ep since season 2 finale.

Sorry but I have to disagree here - In my opinion 'The Walking Dead' is focusing on the human condition when put in tough survival situations. It has a variety of characters to gather different perspectives on certain situations. So, the fact that we see human emotion or human interaction whether it be relative to 'soap opera' standard is only natural in my opinion.

To me, 'walkers' are a metaphor for death. No matter whether its slow or fast it will eventually get you, and seeing different characters struggling to keep walkers off is a literal fight between them and death and not only that but their decisions decide how close or how safe from death (walkers) they'll be.

Sometimes characters win, sometimes characters lose. Walking Dead has many different characters and depending on our individual perspectives on them depend on how we react to these victories and losses. Just because it delves into topics such as pregnancy or suicide (which are also topics in soap-opera) doesn't mean it has to be seen as a soap opera.

It can just be seen as different characters responding to different stimuli trying to prevent death and living in a world where they've finally realized there is no black and white to morality, good or evil just shades of grey.

I love how you chastised me for saying a comment was ignorant, but you refer to mine as excrement.
I understand the rules now. "Stick to bumping your Justin Bieber" is a harsh insult, but you using profanity is alright. I appreciate the insight.

Have you ever actually seen "White Zombie" with Bela Lugosi? There is nothing about that film that resembles modern zombie movies. Nor did "King of the Zombies" (one of my favorites) or "Revolt of the Zombies" or any of the other early zombie films. You could argue that "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price was one of the first modern zombie films (which came out 8 years before "Night of the Living Dead"). The zombies in that were more like vampires though. Movies like "White Zombie" and "King of the Zombies" were based on voodoo zombies, which are very different from the modern concept of zombies. They were more like entranced slaves than zombies. They killed, but they did not eat human flesh like Romero's zombies. George Romero is well-known as the father of the modern zombie genre. It's pretty much consensus. He popularized and reinvented the sub-genre of zombie horror.

Romero did not create zombies, he only changed them slightly. But, if nobody knows who the man is, they sure as well won't give a da… moremn about what he says about one of the best shows on U.S TV! He comes off as a little jealous in that interview.
1939: The White Zombie.

I agree with you. As a lifelong zombie fan, Romero's opinions on the subject DEFINITELY matter to me, personally. His opinions don't dictate my tastes or anything, but I definitely value what he has to say, as should anyone with a love of the genre. I still like TWD because I love all things zombie, except "Zombieland". I really didn't like that movie for some reason. Bill Murray was awesome and is the only reason I purchased the movie. I agree with what you said about TWD too. It's definitely soapy and I wish they had better writers. I think the show has such great potential, but really crappy writers (for seasons 2 and 3). It's getting better this season though. I just wish HBO had bought the rights to it instead of AMC. It could have been amazing if HBO did it. I heard that HBO (before AMC bought the rights) wanted to use Thomas Jane as Rick, which would have been 100x better than Andrew Lincoln. It's too bad. I'll still keep watching though.

Well, Tolkien created the kind of fantasy we are used to - wouldn't his opinions matter regarding some of the mutations the fantasy … moregenre has gone through? I would certainly think so, if for nothing else some goddamn respect for a creator.
Regarding the soap-opera effect on TWD, I'd have to say it might go too far. Sure, exploration of how groups evolve and live during times of stress can be very interesting, but if focus ends up on "group evolution" or "the stress", then someone is not doing the job properly: focus on the first and you get the soap-opera, focus on the other and we get a hack n slash like say Dead Island. Balance is the key.

I sadly have to agree with him on this. This whole franchise puts human drama above zombie hacking and slashing, whether it be TV sh… moreow, comics, or even the game.
Also, what's funny is that in the comments of the article, there's a bunch of immature WD fans bashing Romero's movies just because of this little comment. C'mon, guys.

Just to start off.. why the heck do you watch something you don't even like? Do you really have that much spare time? You've got no … moreright to complain about how it's poorly written when you don't have to watch it.
But mediocre cast? Like who, for example?

Wait, does that mean if you don't like the show, you can't criticise it because you shouldn't watch it anyway? Ouch.
Of course th… moree actors are excellent. They even got that Keira Knightley love interest from "Love Actually"!
/thread
(Seriously, this discussion would be 100% better without the needless drama)

Have you ever actually seen "White Zombie" with Bela Lugosi? There is nothing about that film that resembles modern zombie movies. N… moreor did "King of the Zombies" (one of my favorites) or "Revolt of the Zombies" or any of the other early zombie films. You could argue that "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price was one of the first modern zombie films (which came out 8 years before "Night of the Living Dead"). The zombies in that were more like vampires though. Movies like "White Zombie" and "King of the Zombies" were based on voodoo zombies, which are very different from the modern concept of zombies. They were more like entranced slaves than zombies. They killed, but they did not eat human flesh like Romero's zombies. George Romero is well-known as the father of the modern zombie genre. It's pretty much consensus. He popularized and reinvented the sub-genre of zombie horror.